Carlos Guevara Aviado

Carlos Guevara Aviado is at rest. After more than twelve years battling cancer he passed away peacefully at his home in Bowie, MD with his wife of thirty-six years, Doreen by his side.  Carlos lived a full life. He had a smile that lit up his face and could light up a room.  He possessed a wonderful deep, commanding voice both soothing and self-assured.  He retained a child-like youthfulness and innocence that made others feel protective of him. He was comfortable in his own skin, always open and friendly, which made others, even strangers, feel welcome to engage with him in conversation. 

He was a man with many passions. He loved his cameras and photography. He loved listening to Bluegrass and the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead formed the soundtrack to his life.  He was an avid fan of fast-paced sports such as Formula One Grand Prix races, Sailing and Hockey.  But more than anything, he had a lifelong passion for bicycling, watching and attending Tour de France races and amassing a collection of bikes and components that filled his soul and his home. He always hungered for an adventure; yearning to see new places on the saddle of one of his bikes.

Carlos was born in the Philadelphia suburb of Wynnewood (Overbrook), PA and spent his childhood there. Then later his family moved to Short Hills, NJ.  He attended Portsmouth Abbey, a Benedictine Prep School, in Portsmouth, RI where aside from a solid academic base, his love of sailing was fostered and friendships were formed to last a lifetime.  Carlos graduated from the University of Rochester in 1979 with a degree in Optical Engineering.  Years later he received a Masters degree in Imaging Sciences at the former Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (now NYU-Poly).

He had a long career in the field of Optics Engineering working in support of computer chip manufacturing with IBM (Burlington, VT), defense-based guidance systems for Allied Signal (Teterboro, NJ),  and the aerospace industry at Perkin-Elmer (Wilton/Norwalk, CT). The bulk of his career was spent as an in-house contactor to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, MD) focused on the repair missions to correct the faulty optics of the Hubble Space Telescope and related testing for numerous satellites.  He was also a Union Shop Steward for IBEW, local 1501-2.

Carlos stayed at IBM only a short two years; saving up his money to be able to quit and take a long year and a half bicycling adventure before having to settle back into a career. After visiting relatives in the Philippines he hopped a Russian freighter to Australia then continued exploring New Zealand, Tasmania, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China. It was a life changing experience for him.  One that immersed him in different cultures and opened his eyes to how others lived.  But as Carlos liked to say, he knew he needed to return home. He sensed there was someone special he was destined to meet; his wife Doreen.  Carlos’s love of travel and bicycling was infectious to Doreen who quickly enjoyed sharing adventures with him.

Predeceased by his father, Domingo M. Aviado, and his sister, Maria Aviado. He is survived by his mother, Asuncion G. Aviado, and his wife Doreen. Also survived by his sister, Maria Kimble (former spouse Douglas Gentile) and their children, Paul and Peter; his brother, Domingo G. Aviado (Cora Bahia) and their children, Dominick, Kimberley and Randy.  In addition he leaves his loving in-laws, Debra and Tim Corbett and their children, Molly and Neal; David and Darlene Jandoli and children, Jennifer, Jonathan and Denise.

He will be greatly missed by his many loving cousins, relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy at www.railstotrails.org or a charity of your choice.